Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-10-15
Woodstock tvirqinial Fair-Shenandoah
County Incidents.
Editor Independent:

1 GuuukF tiNtAObtSs
Editor Independent;
Motives of business interest and
curiosity led me to visit the fair at
Woodstock, Va. and arrived there
by rail at 8 o'clock p NJ, on the 9th
instant.
Woodstock is the county seat of
Shenandoah County, and consists of
some very good houses, and is laid
out with view to comfort and utili-
ty to it's inhabitants, the lots being
large-some of them containing an
acre of land, attached to dwelling;
making the posseseor almost sub
sistance for his family, without fur
Their living expenses. The town is
situated in a beautiful and fertile
country, and populated by a thrifty.
well-to do people, plain and unassum
ing in their manners, clever ana hos
pitable. The county of Shenandoah
was mainly settled by German Penn
sylvanians, many of whom retain in
a great measure, the manners and
customs of their ancestors, and who
are good farmers; unassuming, honest
and industrious. 1t was here that
the people, number of years ago
suffered many hardships and dspri-
vations from Indian invasions in the
settlements, in their raids, coming
down from the mountains, burning
their habitations, destroying their
means of sustenancc and numbering
defencele.s women and children.
1t WAS in this county that dis
tikguishsd German minister, by the
nams Of Muhlenberg, raised Ger
man regiment for the Revolutionary
war. Preaching from his pulpit, at
tired in his military dress and cock
ade, he found no difficulty in Rising
his complement of men. who served
with distinction, as the 9Th regiment,
evincing sterling qualities of honor
and valour, the descendants of whom
remain, end most fully develop the
charact eristics of their forsfathsrs.
But to 90 back again to describe
our visit to the Woodstock fir, We
can only cay We we're highly delight
ed 10 $50 SO excellent an exhibition
of stock, farming nipple sants and the
handiwork Of the female population
of that vicinity, because no ordinary
NEED of praise viii do justice to this
latter mart OF that exhibition.
While We remained Va we're most
Hospitality entertained ct the hospi-
table home Of Dr. d. %. Carter, and
our young friend and couatyman,
A. WynkOop, the forser having built
up lucrative practices in HE profes
sion, aud the latter being by profss-
sion . lawyer, hes by experience
demonstrated On ability in HE pro-
fessioa, besides 10 seens to have At
tainsd to mach credit among these
people for HE usefulness, piety and
genuine worth. Ii WAS through this
young gentleman that W. learned
some OF the history of the country
around. We found that through his
instrumentality, one OF Gods tenn
pies bias been erected, and owAea by
the Episcopslian persuasion Of chris
tians. 1t il most beautiful brick
structure, Of gothic style in archi-
lecture, and perhaps one of the best
churches of that denomination in the
Shenandoah Valley.
1t was upon this spot OF ground,
in house long since moulden and
and decayed, that Gen. Muhlenberg,
then a Lutheran, but atterward OBJ
serving the rites of the Episcopal
chureh-exhorted his men TO take
up arms in defence Of American
rights. Indeed. the very Bible and
prayer book used by that distin-
guished Divine, is carefully preserv-
ed, and is now laid up as one OF the
archives of the church at this day,
and of which we were permitted TO
handle and examine, which we did
with the most pleasurable and venera-
BILE emotions while were viewing these
"reminiscences of we olden time, we
were in imagination carried back to
the time when these brave men sacri-
feed all for the cause they were
fighting for-lesving home and
friends to engage in wars and untold
suffering and deprivation.
Hastily we will describe some Of
the handiwo * of the the female de-
partment OF the Woodstock fair,
among the most notable, was splen-
did quilt, Of the best silk velvet, and
made by the hands OF Miss Il. G.
Grim, OF New Market. This quilt, in
design of figure, excels anything of
the kind we have ever seen, and from
this lady we learn, that in Baltimore
city it was valued at $3.50. She also